Hello Lisa.

Welcome back to another edition of THE PENCIL CASE! As always, each issue focuses on a theme to encourage a fresh look at garden design and graphics. This week let's explore the life and garden of Vita Sackville-West.

WHO WAS VITA SACKVILLE-WEST?

Vita Sackville-West was a British author, poet, and gardener born in the early 1890s. Her garden, planted at Sissinghurst Castle, is considered “one of the most admired and influential English gardens of the 20th century.” Inspired by her poems and writing, her garden reflects her passion for creativity and ruthlessness when it came to thinking outside of the norm. Vita credits her husband, Harold Nicolson, for the overall spatial design, while she developed the amazing planting design.

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Source: Vita Sackville West and Sissinghurst Castle

Photo courtesy of De Agostini via Getty Images

VITA'S GARDEN

The gardens of Sissinghurst Castle, began their bloom in the 1930’s and continued to develop over twenty-five years. Although the overall site was large, Vita wanted to create a sense of intimacy and privacy. This was achieved by dividing the garden into rooms, separated by brick walls and large hedges. These garden rooms were connected by brick paths, doorways and arches that beautifully drew visitors from one space to the next.

Each room also had it's own focused theme that included a Rose Garden, Cottage Garden, Herb Garden and the famous White Garden. 

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Source: Vita Sackville-West (1892-1962

First photo courtesy of Tony Hisgett | Second photo courtesy of Jonathan Buckly

WHAT MAKES VITA'S GARDEN?

Garden Rooms: Distinct garden rooms are enclosed with carefully placed hedges and walls...each with their own theme. 

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Focal Points: Sculptures hidden through doorways and arches. These are perfect for luring guests from one garden room to the next.

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Mown Grass Paths: Underneath orchard trees, paths are carved out of the vast meadow, encouraging guests to meander through the space.

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Monochromatic Color Schemes: Vita Sackville-West is accredited for the monochromatic white garden. In her famous white garden, Vita filled the beds to the brim with plants that flowered white or had a grayish tinge to their foliage.

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Letting Nature be Nature: Vita was very lax when it came to tidiness in her garden. She allowed wildflowers to grow and spread wherever their seeds landed. Her garden was a mix of thoughtfully cultivated plants, as well as, nature as intended.

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Source: 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Vita Sackville-West at Sissinghurst Castle

LET'S DO THIS! 

Learn about Sissinghurst from Vita herself in  this lovely article from House & Garden.

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We are gearing up for the next round of GARDEN GRAPHICS TOOL KIT! This is our 8-week course that teaches you how to draw the components of a garden. This course is offered once a year in January. You're invited to join the waiting list and learn more here.

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If you know someone that needs design inspiration, please feel free to share this newsletter. Anyone can subscribe right here. I also keep a VAULT of past issues in this secret location.

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Happy gardening!

Lisa 

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PAPER GARDEN WORKSHOP

Thank you to Mandy Orgler for designing the lovely graphics in all these newsletters.